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29 SATURDAY - MARCH 1975
HOLY SATURDAY - 88TH DAY - 277 DAYS TO COME

My father returned translations of the following games to me: AUTO MARKET, PICCOLE DONNE, MASTER, GUARDIE E LADRI, ALTA FINANZA, BUSINESS, CIACK: SI GIRA!. Played 500 RUMMY with dad, Ilka, and BB.

Rcd. a copy of the cover of Martin Gardner's new book with FOCUS on the cover, sent by Martin - no message -- SIXTH BOOK OF MATHEMATICAL GAMES FROM SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN.

Played FIGHT CITY HALL with the Laurence's. One faction ran ahead of all the other and there wasn't much interplay at all.

Later thinking of the following to remedy this, and to simplify the rules, and to make it cheaper to produce.

Make 5 identical dice with the 6 factions on the faces. The sixth die has the following faces: DEAL, DEAL, DEAL, POWER, POWER, SHAKE UP. When de "DEAL" shows up, the top deal card is taken by the player. If he can't work out a deal with the others involved, the card is returned to the bottom. This gives the player turning the card leverage in the deal. Also increase the amounts involved - possibly double.

When "POWER" shows the player moves the factions ahead one space for each face showing, but he eliminates any movement. Also any faction that would be moved into "Total Power" can be ignored by the player.

When "SHAKE UP" shows the player may, but doesn't have to, call for one.

Eliminate "Salaries" leaving "deals" the only way to get money.

(cont. from 3/30) [5/8]

were very low, but they kept it and it is now the best selling of their strategy games. He gets 6% royalty for his games in Germany. He is a little annoyed that Tom Atwater has placed a 3-D game by another client (probably TOP-O-LOGIC) at 4%, since Alex has been saying he would accept less but his agent wouldn't let him.

Alex saw Bob Johnson in Kansas City. He told him that there was something wrong with their testing if FOCUS came out badly. REVERSI also did badly. Next year Hallmark will be testing only German games - since copies are available. If the testing goes o.k. the earliest for general distribution is 1977.

To Martin Gardner's. Alex discussed a "Rule of pie" he had devised for making some of his games fairer. (The name derives from 1 boy dividing a piece of pie into two shares and the other taking his pick. Martin said there were methods of doing this with 3 or 4, but didn't go into it.) with

(cont. on 3/27)

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